


The right way around

by nxmorefear



Series: A hole in the planet [1]
Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Zack Lives, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Cloud & Zack backstory - Freeform, M/M, Not Crisis Core Compliant, One-sided Zack Fair/Cloud Strife, POV Cloud, POV Zack, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:08:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23736616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nxmorefear/pseuds/nxmorefear
Summary: Cloud is training at the Shin-Ra's Military Academy, the first step he must take to become a SOLDIER. During his training he meets Zack Fair, a boy from Gongaga who will help him to go through the arduous and hostile stay at the Academy with the rest of recruits.
Relationships: Mentioned Zack/Aerith Gainsborough, Zack Fair/Cloud Strife
Series: A hole in the planet [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1709770
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [El modo correcto](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15554016) by [nxmorefear](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nxmorefear/pseuds/nxmorefear). 



> Fic based on Final Fantasy VII that explores the relationship between Cloud and Zack before the Nibelheim incident and what it would imply in the future events of the story. There're severe changes regarding the original game’s script (see fic tags). Small references from FFVII: Crisis Core will be taken, however, most of it will be from my own invention.
> 
> English isn't my native language, so it's possible the writing is not perfect. I accept advice to improve the translation.

_ i. _

The Shin-Ra Military Academy was preparing an army to face any kind of enemy. Many teenagers left their homes to join their new family, formed by heroes and peacekeepers. In the past months, the recruitment rate had risen exponentially due to the young army's prodigy, Sephiroth, the expert swordsman and SOLDIER 1st Class. He proved to possess a superhuman strength, one that many young people aspired to achieve, but that such strength only would be obtained from the new Shin-Ra's secret training. Among those young men, Cloud Strife, a recruit from Nibelheim, was willing to show the world his abilities.

The basic notions training to get the option for SOLDIER training was six months long. That was his first goal: finishing it. However, the first two weeks had been very hard for Cloud. He barely passed the entrance examination and now he was on a tight spot. His training hadn't made him get the same physical qualities as the other recruits, and mockeries didn't take long to come his way. It was beyond Cloud's control. For the same reason, he hadn't made any friends, not that he was interested anyway. It was something that kept repeating during his childhood so many times that he wasn't affected by it anymore. Who needed brats like them as friends?

Like every morning, the recruits were running laps around the Academy facilities. It was an outdoor space conditioned to simulate a natural and urban ground at the same time. The weather played a very important role on the ground as well and cadets had to adapt; it didn't matter if it were sunny, windy or rainy. No one  knew where they'd be needed during a mission.

On that particular day the rain fell heavily on the field and the recruits. The group was formed by teenagers between the age of fourteen and sixteen, and due to their early age, Shin-Ra applied a special training to them. Among all those boys doing squats under the inclement weather, a blond boy stood out for his peculiar energy and stature, and not precisely for exceeding the average from his peers. Because of this, his coach was paying excessive attention to him during the past few days.

"Get off your ass, recruit!" He shouted close his ear as the others held their laughter in their throats. "You won't even manage to become the headquarters’ cook if you keep like that!"

Duly noting that warning, Cloud put more effort on his squats, knowing well that his endurance would be affected for the rest of the training.

Even if he'd been under unbearable pressure over the recent weeks, Cloud couldn't complain. On more than one occasion, he thought about giving up, returning home and seeking another vocation. The truth was that he was afraid to live alone on that chaotic world at war, but at the same time he didn't want to look like a coward or admitting his weakness. Plus the promise he had made Tifa and himself kept him in a dilemma between his pride and his mental health.

Such doubtful thoughts made Cloud forget the exercise he was doing and fail the objective set by the coach. Before his disapproving yelling, the punishment was to run twice as much laps as the other recruits, something that encouraged their jokes. They made comments every time they overtook him during the run, which fueled Cloud's anger even more, but also severely damaged his self-esteem.

Cloud never imagined the army would be this difficult and forbidding. He felt hard to lift his feet of the ground as the time passed, and the mud formed by the rain made it even harder to take a single step. He didn't know how much more he could endure of the training and the harassment of his superior and the other recruits on top of that.

Shortly after, the coach blew his whistle all over the field, ending the run, but not Cloud's. Before the recruits withdrew at the request of their superior, one of them pushed Cloud and made him fall flat on the mud. They all laughed in unison and trotted Cloud's insecurities out. However, he was never helpless. Cloud set his hands on the ground to stand up, not paying attention to his shaking legs.

"Oh, look at that," the group leader, a boy tall and strong enough for his age, teased Cloud while pointing at him. "He looks like a worm wallowing in shit!"

Laughter was heard again. Cloud drew his last strength to get up, but a black-haired boy stepped in in front of him and the other boy.

"Pick on somebody your own size!" He demanded with his arms outstretched.

The surprise was drawn on the bully's face. "I could say the same to you," he mocked him after taking a better look to the boy in front of him.

And, before the brunet could react, he received a painful punch in the cheek that dragged him to the mud, right next to Cloud. That made the recruits laugh again, and with reasons; they both were covered in mud and they weren't exactly the strongest among them.

The bully took a couple of steps towards them and warned them from his position of power. "I hope you learned who's in charge here, losers."

His friends laughed again before being interrupted by their superior, who yelled at them, urging that the break must be taken at once. Then he approached Cloud and the other boy, who stood up from the ground.

"Both of you, finish the lap around the damn field," he demanded with a snarl.

"Yes sir!" The dark-haired boy said firmly.

However, Cloud said nothing and the coach angrily grabbed him by the arm and pulled him up to get him straight at once. "You! Have you heard me?!" He hollered and shook Cloud by his arm.

"Yes sir..." He said reluctantly.

Finally his superior released his arm roughly. "Good, I hope I don't have to repeat you to follow the protocol."

The man, after looking at them both with superiority, left them in the middle of the field and returned to his job, waiting for Cloud to complete the last lap.

Cloud was the first to start the run again. In a calmer atmosphere, he started to think what the hell had happened. A boy interceded for him in a fight. Yes, the one who had just arrived this morning. If he hadn't noticed him before, it was because he thought he'd join the harassment with the others to... How they call it? Yes, to fit in well with the group. Cloud was quite surprised.

"Psst."

Cloud heard the boy behind him during the run. He frowned and ignored him.

"Psst, psst."

«He did it again!» Cloud, irritated, turned his head toward the brunet. He saw him smile, despite how sore his cheek was. Then the boy sped up his pace a little more and placed himself next to Cloud.

"Hey, what's your name?" He asked cheerfully.

Was he serious? In all the time Cloud was there, nobody asked him anything. And, just in case, he kept his guard up.

"Cloud..." He answered between soft gasps.

"I'm Zack," he replied without Cloud needing to ask. "Are all of them such brutes? I saw that idiot pushing you for no reason and I couldn't help stepping in."

Cloud fell silent and looked at the ground. He didn't want to admit the true reason why they messed with him.

"You're doomed then," he said with resignation.

"Huh? Why?"

Before Cloud could respond, their superior returned to stop their chatting and made them ran separately. It was very difficult for Cloud. The rain hadn't stopped yet and, when his legs couldn't hold him anymore, Zack came to help him. Both received a lecture and were immediately sent to the infirmary. If there were no rules to protect the recruits, it was certain that their superior would have let him faint in the mud, leaving him to his fate.

Once in the infirmary ward, they sat on the metal seats of the aseptic waiting room. The two boys were covered in mud, but Cloud was the only one with his body trembling between fatigue and cold; he felt so bad about everything he wanted to disappear. Cloud leaned forward and hid his face in his arms, holding back the need to cry. He didn't even believe he'd finish his basic training. No matter how hard he tried, he didn't get results. He also had become the object of mockery of the recruits and the relief of his superiors. In Nibelheim he somehow managed to defend himself from aggressions, but they had no comparison with those from the academy. Since he arrived, the only solution he had was to hide and wait, but he hadn't even gained more height, nor the muscle mass necessary to meet the requeriments; the physical exercises tired his body more and more and the food was hardly edible.

For the first time, Cloud was beginning to think he was weak, just as everyone had always said.

«Should I give up...?»

The answer he was waiting for so much faded into the confines of his mind when Zack's voice pulled him out of there. Cloud trembled and quickly wiped his eyes.

"Hey... Are you alright?"

There wasn't any answer. Cloud didn't look at him, more focused on concealing his misery. Unfortunately, Zack insisted. "I'll take it as a 'no'," he took a pause before talking again. "You shouldn't let bad thoughts torment you and much less hit you that way."

Soon Cloud realized Zack leaned over his side, examining him with those huge amethyst eyes. Now that he could appreciate him better, the boy was somewhat older than him, with long spiky hair. Cloud completely ignored the swelling in his cheek.

Cloud didn't feel like talking, and Zack's advice was, at least, inappropriate. No one had asked for his opinion.

"Easy for you to say," he replied with a weak murmur.

"Maybe, but the first thing is to convince yourself of it, don't you think?" Zack turned to him and rested his arm on the back of Cloud's chair. "Sometimes we get more by believing in ourselves than working on the results."

Cloud gave Zack a sceptical look, who pointed an instant at his own forehead and continued. "Everything is in our minds and if you don't stop thinking about bad things," he also took the liberty of touching Cloud's forehead with his index finger, "they will end up happening in the end."

However, Cloud found no calm in Zack's convictions. At the most, they seemed too optimistic and at the same time unrealistic. And still, Cloud was able to keep his own and childish naivety around his desire to get into SOLDIER.

"You seem pretty sure of that..." Cloud narrowed his eyes.

His words made Zack smile, who had chosen a rather proud posture. He put one leg over the other and raised his chin. "And how do you think I passed the tests and entered the army?" He said very proud while touching the flabby biceps he had. "I'm a wimpy!"

Zack's words made any small hint of hope to achieve his goal disappear. If Zack was a wimpy, then he should be weaker than an ant.

"And just by wishing it I can achieve anything?" Cloud asked before giving up completely.

Zack leaned his head to look at Cloud, who kept avoiding any eye contact.

"There're more factors, but the effort is the most important thing," he explained. "If we really want to become SOLDIERS, we can't stop fighting for it. No matter what comes to us, we have to keep fighting until we get there!"

At that moment, Cloud fell silent as he shrank thoughtfully. Was it as simple as that? Keep on fighting, keep on and keep on... because the effort always paid off. If only perseverance was enough, he was willing to give himself one more chance.

"If you say so..." Cloud replied reluctantly.

His response caused Zack to pat him gently on the shoulder, something that bothered Cloud a bit. However, he didn't say or do anything about it.

"Come on, Cloud!" He exclaimed cheerfully. "You have to believe it! Unfortunately that's something that nobody will do for you. And, first of all, we must defend ourselves from those bullies. There's supposed to be a protocol to stop those fools but, as you can see… Our superiors prefer we struggle each other."

Cloud began to understand many things with Zack's chatting. It wasn't just a question of training, but surviving as well. In a system that, from the inside, didn't create solutions, they had to be the ones who made them.

"You could join them," Cloud said after a pause. "Now they have more reasons to bully us."

Zack blinked a few times and tilted his head in confusion. "Why do you say that? It was you who was in trouble,” he replied indignantly. "I would never take advantage of those situations."

Cloud's expression changed completely and looked sideways at Zack, speechless. Had he listened correctly? What was someone like him doing in the SOLDIER recruitment?

"And why not? That would make you score more points ... I guess?" Cloud replied and shrugged his shoulders.

Zack immediately shook his head firmly and his own gaze intensified, as if his convictions were above anything else.

"I won't play that dominance game knowing that there's someone who suffers from it," he explained with a raised finger. "It's true that there're many people who would do anything to fulfill their dreams, but I'm not one of those. We must achieve our goals the fair way, and if to do so we have no choice but to respond with our fists, so be it. This way we will show everyone we aren't losers!"

Cloud looked down and held his own hands restlessly, rubbing them together. Taking the hint, he wondered if he'd be like one of those bullies if he really had the strength to do so. Now, at the weaker end of the violence, he had no chance to prove anything, but what if he had that chance? Would he remain loyal to his own principles?

"I don't know if I'm cut out for SOLDIER…" Cloud said embarrassed of admitting it.

"Hey!" Zack exclaimed with a raised fist." If you've got here, it's because you deserve to be here, right?" And Zack spoke with such conviction that it was impossible not to be infected by it.

Cloud doubted now his inability to be SOLDIER and reconsidered that premature decision of leaving the academy from earlier.

"I guess..." he replied as he shrugged again.

Zack also responded with a jovial smile. "Trust me," he said, pounding his own chest gently. "Besides, the semiannual training has just started. It's too early to give up."

Zack was right. He hadn't come so far to give up so easily. He had to be patient and overcome the obstacles, gain strength and the skills he had been waiting for. Now, he had them in front of him, waiting to be achieved.

Cloud then nodded and looked up to meet Zack's gaze, as intense as the attractive color of his eyes. He found himself promising he would continue his training, at least to show Zack that his words didn't fall on deaf ears.

"I really appreciate your help," Cloud said with a renewed mood, something that Zack responded with a bigger smile.

Then the nurse went out into the waiting room with a folder under his arm and looked at the two young men sitting in the armchairs.

"Who goes first?" He asked as he read the waiting list.

They both looked at each other and Cloud immediately pointed to Zack. After all, an inflamed cheek was worse than an unimportant black-out. Zack stood up after thanking him for the detail and before joining the nurse, he turned to Cloud.

"I don't want to see you sad again," he warned the blond jokingly and then took the liberty of ruffling his spiky hair. "See you later, Cloud!"

Zack left the hallway to the nursing room and left Cloud in the hands of his own mind. Little else they shared that morning and, after seeing Zack leaving with a couple of stitches on the cheek, he was the next to be treated.

Unlike Zack, Cloud didn't get the day off, so he had to show up at the firearms training. And, after several days fearing to be with the other recruits, for the first time, Cloud did it with confidence.

_ ii. _

After nightfall, the daily training came to its end and all recruits returned to their private rooms. They weren't very large, only the suitable space for a bed and a small table with its respective chair. Most of the recruits were leaving the facilities or waiting for the curfew before returning to their rooms. However, Cloud always found calm in the solitude of his four walls. He liked to look out the window, read an occasional essay or study, even visualize his future life as a SOLDIER 1st Class, but lately that future had been darkened by the latest events. Then, Zack appeared to give him a new opportunity in the army; not even his own mother had managed to fill his heart with such enthusiasm.

As soon as he entered his room and turned on the light, he distinguished a letter on the table. Cloud placed his bag on the bed and sat down tiredly in the uncomfortable metal chair. He moved the envelope closer with two fingers and confirmed it was from his mother... again. He had already received four letters since he arrived Midgar and hadn't deigned to answer any until now.

Before his inspiration withered, Cloud opened the envelope and took out its content. It was one paper sheet with his mom's handwriting on one side. Although they were only short phrases, his mother had never stopped showing her concern in the last three weeks in which she had no news from him. Having just turned fourteen, any mother would be disturbed and at the same time wishing him the best of luck and strength.

Without being able to avoid it, the blond boy felt a pang of remorse and didn't delay in taking out some paper to write a more than deserved answer for his mother. He had always been a child of few words, but honest and diaphanous in a certain sense. Reassuring words would be enough to calm his mother's unease, at least for a couple more weeks.

Cloud hoped those words were also for himself and his recovered optimism.


	2. 2

Since Zack had heard about the new SOLDIER division from Shin-Ra, he worked hard to get enough money to travel to Midgar and enroll in the army. He left his homeland just a couple of weeks ago; however, some trip and paperwork issues made him get in a week later.

It had only been a few days since Zack began his military training and couldn't be happier. His goal was still far away, but he was convinced that, sooner or later, he would manage to become a SOLDIER 1st Class and work alongside the great Sephiroth. Thinking about all the possibilities and helping people to live in peace made him euphoric. And best of all, he had met someone on his first day.

Cloud wasn't very talkative. He seemed a good person, but too withdrawn to be in a place like this. And Zack, since he knew of Cloud's low self-esteem, said to himself he'd help him achieve his dreams. He knew not everyone had the same ability, nor anyone who'd watch over people like him either. That's what Zack was for.

Zack tried to start a conversation with Cloud every time they had free training. He was always looking for him to spend time together. It was very difficult to make him say something, but Zack was pleased when his new friend was comfortable enough around him to admit the weapons tutor was an idiot.

On that day, both had part of the day off and Zack immediately thought of something when they all left the showers. He waited for Cloud at the exit to and stepped in front of him when he saw him crossing the threshold.

"Hey, Cloud," Zack called smiling. "Do you have plans for this afternoon?"

Cloud turned to Zack with a slight jump and scratched his head. "No, why you asking?"

"Do you feel like going for a walk?" He proposed as he placed his towel behind his neck. "So we get to know each other a little more," Zack saw Cloud distracted for a moment and short after getting his attention.

"If you want..." He replied with a shrug.

"Great!" Zack exclaimed enthusiastically. "I'm waiting for you at the exit of the headquarter."

"But ... you meant now?" Cloud asked nervously.

"Of course," Zack nodded. "I won't take long," he said goodbye to Cloud with one hand and hurried to his room to change his clothes.

Just out of the shower, it was easier to comb his own hair in front of the small mirror of his room. It seemed the swelling on his cheek was no longer noticeable. Zack looked in his suitcase for simpler clothes to explore the city with Cloud. He hoped his new friend knew interesting places to take pictures. Short after, his instant camera was hung around his neck and he left the room after making sure he was carrying his keys and wallet.

Zack had to wait a bit until he saw Cloud appear in the lobby and they went out to the streets of Sector 8. A wide and huge main street stretched before them and the excitement was reflected in Zack's violet-blue eyes. It was a very huge city, full of people and hundreds of shops that he could never imagined seeing in his homeland. He only saw a problem in Midgar and it was the pollution. From day one, he missed the sky. It was as if a huge layer of dirt had come between the city and the firmament.

"I love this city," Zack said to break the ice. "Are you also from out of Midgar?"

"Yes," he replied. "You didn't notice?"

Zack, while holding the camera in his hands, turned to look at Cloud. He didn't understand the question.

"Well... I don't know," Zack answered with his head tilted. "I mean, I've never met someone as pale as you, but all kinds of people live in Midgar, so... ” He stopped when they got at the huge plaza in the middle of the street. "I just didn't want to assume you were an outsider."

"You're one too, right?" Cloud said quietly.

"So you did notice," Zack said curiously taking the camera's viewfinder to one eye and looked for the best angle to take a picture of the square.

"It's obvious. Your accent," Cloud's words made Zack look away from the camera and smiled at him.

"Good hearing," but Zack's smile disappeared with a little shame when he received no response from Cloud. Sometimes it was awkward when he was standing there, distracted. It seemed he didn't pay any attention. Zack just took the first picture and kept walking by his side. And, until they didn't reach the fountain in the center of the square, Zack didn't make an effort to say anything else. Cloud was making it very difficult. "Don't you miss the sky?" He tried to start a conversation again.

Cloud then nodded slowly. "They say it's because of the reactors," he said.

Zack glanced at the sky and saw how the Mako reactor no.1 could be seen from there. Through it, a kind of intense green light emerged, which provided electricity to the entire city. He didn't know how it affected the sky, but its energy didn't allow the outside light to penetrate.

"Wouldn't it be better to save energy during the day? That way we wouldn't be using so much electricity when there is still sun,” Zack commented. He also waited for Cloud's opinion, but there was no way to make him speak for more than ten seconds. "I still like Midgar," Zack continued.

As he received no word from Cloud, Zack again focused on taking a couple more shots, that time was the reactor and the fountain. The camera ejected two images printed on paper a few seconds later and Zack watched them for a moment. Then he looked at Cloud, who was still there, with his hands in his pockets and looking at nothing. Zack was a bit confused.

"And do you like the city?" Zack asked and Cloud just shrugged. That made Zack sigh, who ended up sitting on the edge of the fountain.

"You're not very talkative, are you?" he said to explain himself before smiling nervously. "Are you shy to talk? I'm not saying it's bad, but I don't bite."

Cloud responded by ducking his head and scratching the back of his neck. "I don't know what to say," he admitted with a slight blush.

"Anything's fine!" Zack said more pleasantly. "Come on, you can start by telling me about the city. Do you know places to take pictures?"

His question seemed to confuse Cloud, who began looking nervously around. "I don't know the city," he confessed shyly.

Zack immediately opened his eyes in surprise. "Oh, you don't? I thought you were taking me somewhere."

Cloud shook his head repeatedly, along with his hands. "I was following you."

The situation caused Zack to laugh, but Cloud didn't. Even if they got lost in Sector 8, Zack knew it wouldn't be difficult to find their way back. It'd be enough to ask people for directions.

"It's okay, it's okay!" He tried to reassure his friend and then glanced at the huge plaza. "Hey, do you feel like drinking something? I'm seeing a coffee shop from here and I feel like eating something sweet."

Cloud accepted his proposal and both got inside the establishment, placed a few meters away and next to the fountain in the square. It was somewhat full at that time, but they could sit at a table for two, next to a window. Sitting opposite each other, Zack read the menu and checked what they offered.

"There's much more variety here than in my town, no doubt," Zack muttered as he read each dish name, impressed.

"Where do you come from?" Cloud asked surprisingly.

Zack looked up over the menu and laid it on the table. Cloud's curiosity made him smile.

"Do Gongaga ring any bell?" He asked with his body tilted forward.

"Yeah..." Cloud said thoughtfully. "It's a southern country, on the western continent, right?"

"That's right!" Zack exclaimed excitedly, because someone finally knew where to place his home. "That's where I come from.” He pointed to his own chest, very proud of his roots. "Well, I'm from an farm village in the area, like everyone actually. We are a very poor country, we don't even have cities. And all of us who live there are from the great country of Gongaga, nothing more."

At that moment, the waiter arrived to note down their orders. Seeing the prices and knowing they hadn't yet received Shin-Ra's first payout, they decided to share a coffee and a cream bun. The waiter left and Zack returned his full attention to Cloud.

"And where are you from?" Zack asked.

"From the same continent as you, but further north," Cloud explained. "I'm from Nibelheim. I don't think you know it."

"Well, no," he smiled nervously. "Is it a small place?"

Cloud nodded as he placed his arms on the table.

"Yes, it's a lost town on the mountain," he spoke as if it were not important. "And it's very boring ..."

"Tell me about it..." Zack said without thinking and quickly tried to clarify it. He didn't want to say Cloud's homeland was boring. "I mean, I know what is to live in the middle of nowhere. It's the worst. But here in Midgar there's a lot of things...” He smiled mischievously and looked forward to the girls sitting just behind his friend.

Without erasing the smile, Zack told him to look back. Cloud did just that and immediately turned his gaze to the front with an important blush. His reaction caused Zack to laugh sympathetically. Cloud was more shy than he thought.

"They are beautiful, aren't they?" He commented without taking his eyes off Cloud's expression, who kept looking at the table in silence. "I hadn't the opportunity to meet many girls in Gongaga, not to say any."

To Zack's surprise, Cloud didn't seem to be very comfortable to that topic. He'd have expected Cloud to join him in the admiration of those girls. So then he realized something.

"Oh, but how old are you?" Zack asked.

"I'm fourteen..." Cloud answered between his teeth.

"Fourteen?!" Zack opened his eyes widely in surprise. "Really? I thought... Never mind.” He downplayed it with one hand. "You shouldn't feel so embarrassed. Even if it doesn't look that way, I also get nervous with the girls and I'm sixteen."

However, there was no response from Cloud again.

Zack felt embarrassed when he suggested Cloud was older, thinking he seemed younger because of his soft features and short stature. He was about to drop the subject. But he had already the age to lose up with those matters, so Zack took the liberty to comment on something.

"It would be good if we start looking for a girlfriend," he cracked half a smile. "You know, we must take advantage that we are in Midgar and still young. My parents always tell me that young people like us have to make the most of our time. You never know when we won't return from a mission."

Finally the waiter arrived to break the silence that, for Zack, was quite uncomfortable.

"Here you go," the waiter left the order in the middle of the table. "Enjoy your meal."

"Thank you!" Zack said sympathetically before he turned his attention to the food. "It looks really good..."

Zack took the plate with the bun and divided it in half. One was given to Cloud, who didn't stop blushing yet. In fact, he was especially quiet, as if he had suddenly gone mute.

"Hey, are you alright?" Zack took a bite of the bun.

Cloud immediately nodded and looked away at the window.

He didn't quite understand what was wrong with him. Cloud was much weirder than he looked. Quiet, reserved and also shy. He couldn't help wondering why he acted like that. He had to admit he hoped to meet more open people when he'd arrived at Midgar, but he ended up approaching the most mysterious one. Cloud was practically the first person who hadn't ignored him in the last few days, except when he had the feeling he was talking to a wall.

"Why don't you tell me more about yourself?" Zack asked again, thinking it would force Cloud to talk a little more.

"What do you want me to tell you?" he replied with his eyes still lost in the window.

"Well ..." Zack looked out the window at the thought Cloud noticed something interesting, but there was nothing. "I don't know, something like how was your life in that town of yours or why you want to join SOLDIER."

To Zack's surprise, he didn't expect Cloud's expression to darken. He saw him bring a hand to his forehead and lean back in his seat.

"Everything was fine there," Cloud answered simply, which left Zack very disappointed. "I just want to become as strong as Sephiroth."

The mention of that name caused Zack to jump with emotion and forget Cloud's evasion completely. "Me too!" He pointed to his own chest with the bun in his hand. "What a coincidence!"

"That's the main reason everyone wants to join SOLDIER actually."

"Yeah, you're right..." Cloud's comment left him a little embarrassed again. He thought he was beginning to have something in common with him."But I also want to become a hero, something I can only achieve if I'm strong like Sephiroth."

Cloud tilted his head. "A hero?"

"Of course!" Zack exclaimed euphorically. "I want to help people live better and spread peace throughout the world! Can you imagine the satisfaction you'd feel seeing how humans thrive thanks to Mako energy? Especially in Gongaga. Arriving here and seeing the life's quality here makes me want to bring it to my people."

Zack was aware of Cloud's attention on him. He could see in his eyes how much he was interested in his words; that made him very happy.

"That's very selfless from you," Cloud said soft-spoken.

"Yeah," Zack took another bite of the bun and continued talking. "Sephiroth brought peace to Wutai and now they live well. I understand they have other peace missions in other parts of the world. It would be great if we were assigned there to help other people."

"First we have to become SOLDIERs."

Zack nodded with a wide smile and, after eating the bun, took a good sip of coffee to settle better the last bite. Due to how hungry he was at the time, Zack realized that Cloud hadn't tried the bun and had no intention of doing so.

"You're not hungry?" Zack asked, feeling confused.

Cloud shook his head and slided the plate and cup to Zack. "Eat what you want."

"Oh, thanks."

He didn't question his friend and put the food in front of him to finish eating it. It was very tasty. He wished there were such things in Gongaga.

"Hey, Zack ..."

The fact that Cloud called him made him raise his head carefully. He never imagined he'd be so excited that Cloud was interested in talking and knowing more about him.

"Yes?" He said with his mouth full, before taking a sip at the coffee and looking at his friend's blue eyes.

"What happened...?" Cloud pointed at his cheek and Zack understood what he meant in just a moment.

"Oh, the scar," Zack left the food on the plate and explained it to him. "I'm going to give you some advice. Never play with glass. When I was seven I found a window pane in my neighbor's garden and I had no better idea than to play with it."

Suddenly, he saw Cloud trying to hide the smile behind one hand.

"Hey, don't laugh!" He reproached him jokingly and tried to justify himself. "I was just a very bored kid! And after trying to break it with a hammer, the glass jumped on me.” He pointed to his own cheek. "You can't imagine how much blood there was. It practically ripped my entire skin."

Zack managed to make Cloud laugh with his story, which made him quite happy too. He knew it was a funny anecdote and that's why he decided to tell it.

"I admit I expected a more... tragic story," Cloud said as he continued to hide his smile.

"It's very tragic!" He exaggerated the story while he extended his arms across the table. "I ran around the town crying and calling my parents! It was horrible!"

"And how your friends reacted?" The blonde asked, more relaxed than before.

"I've never had friends," Zack confessed once he sat up straight on his seat and got something more serious. "Well, they were just passing friends. In Gongaga we all live in scattered villages and we live only three or four families in each village. We almost never travel and we meet our friends during parties. Let's say I was the youngest in my area, the only one to be exact, so I was alone all my childhood."

"No wonder you were looking for new hobbies..." Cloud responded seriously.

"Like breaking glass..."

Both looked at each other in silence and bursted out laughing at the same time.

"Well, I'm paying for the snack, since you haven't eaten anything ..." Zack said as he pulled his wallet from his back pocket. "I want to look around the street again."

He looked inside the wallet and turned pale. Zack didn't have enough money to pay for everything. He cursed himself silently and looked up at Cloud with a plea.

"Cloud, do you have thirty gil on you?" He asked with a nervous smile. "I forgot to take more money before."

Thanks to Cloud, he was able to have enough money to pay for the bun and coffee. He paid the bill at the bar and, after grabbing his camera, left the establishment with Cloud. Zack verified that the flow of people increased with the arrival of the night and the streets were filled with another kind of charm. One of the things that changed upon the night's arrival was the fountain, which had been put into work. It attracted a lot Zack's attention, who had never seen a stream of water come out with such force from the ground.

"Come here, Cloud!" He gestured with his hand to his new friend.

Making sure Cloud followed him, he hurried to the fountain and observed it in detail. With a wide smile, Zack watched Cloud approach tiredly.

"It's amazing! There are none of these things in Gongaga,” he picked up the camera to get ready the next shot.

"Do you want me to take the photo while you pose?" Cloud suggested, extending his hands to Zack.

Zack thought for a few seconds and came up with a better idea.

"Let's pose together." By how Cloud looked at him, it looked like he had just seen a ghost. "You don't want to?" Zack giggled.

"I..." Cloud hesitated nervously.

"Come on! I want a picture with my first new friend,” Zack shook him by the shoulder insistently.

He quickly placed Cloud next to the edge of the fountain and signalled for him to wait there while he looked for someone who could help them to take the picture. A somewhat scruffy man passed very close to him, so he took the opportunity to ask. He accepted and Zack, after handing him the camera, he went back with Cloud.

"Relax," he said as he put an arm around Cloud's stiff shoulders and smiled, "make a cool pose and... Smile!"

He held the pose next to Cloud until the photo was taken. Zack thanked the man who slowly turned around and left among the crowd without returning the camera. As he acknowledged what had just happened, he heard from Cloud what he suspected.

"I think he's trying to rob you," he pointed at that man.

"Shit! My camera!" He shouted desperately and began to run after him immediately.

Due to the big number of people that was circulating on the main street, Zack barely distinguished the guy among the passers-by. Luckily, he recognized him when he looked back at him and started to run faster. Zack followed his footsteps as fast as he could, but he reached a point on the street he didn't recognize. Then he remembered that he had left Cloud alone, so he didn't dared to take another step forwards.

"Five hundred gil down the drain ..." Zack muttered disappointedly. When he turned to get back to the square with Cloud, he saw him approaching him at a rapid pace. Apparently he had followed him until there.

"He's gone..." Zack said sadly. "And I kept all the pictures in the camera. I was supposed to send them to my parents!" He dropped his shoulders and ducked his head.

"You still have this one," Cloud said as he handed him a photograph.

Zack looked up at the printed paper and held it between his fingers. He recognized the fountain and both posing in front of it.

"It fell off the camera while you were after him," his friend explained.

With a renewed smile from ear to ear, Zack leap on Cloud to hug his neck. Despite having lost a rather expensive camera, he was very happy to keep one of the photographs. After all, it was the best he had done that day.

"Cloud, you're the best!" Zack exclaimed very happily.

He released Cloud as soon as he heard his stifled grunt. Until that moment, Zack didn't realize he was hugging his friend too tightly.

"Oh, sorry," he apologized with a nervous smile. "It's just I love this picture…” He looked at it more carefully and laughed again excitedly. "Thanks, really!"

After reiterating again and again how grateful he was for having saved the last photograph, both returned to the Shin-Ra headquarters. Zack said goodbye to Cloud at the entrance and parted ways for the rest of the day.

Once in his room, he stopped to contemplate the picture once more. He was amused by Cloud's clumsiness when he tried to smile and put on a natural pose. He supposed it was his charm. At first Zack thought it would be harder to make him open, but he just needed to feel comfortable. He made him laugh and found out that Cloud wasn't a bad guy at all. He helped him pay for the snack and, if it weren't for him, he would have lost that picture too. He had to be honest; by how he saw things during trainings, Cloud was the only worthy person in that place and was very happy to have approached him from the beginning.

Finally Zack left the picture on his desk, next to some blank papers. As soon as he felt like writing a letter, he'd send it to his parents. For sure it would make them excited for meeting his new friend.


End file.
